she cooks…he cleans

Finally it is looking like spring outside, and that means lots of fresh asparagus in season!  Most of the time we roast or grill asparagus.  It’s so simple to just toss it with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, then put it in a 400F oven for about ten minutes, and serve with maybe a squeeze of lemon.

This dish is almost as simple, and you get the added flavor of earthy mushrooms.  Sliced red bell peppers would also be great in this, and would add more visual appeal.  A hint of lemon really perks up the flavor of asparagus; in lieu of lemon juice, I seasoned it with the Pepper-Lemon blend from The Spice House.

To serve as a side dish for 2-3 people, you will need about 2 cups of sliced mushrooms and 2 cups of cut-up asparagus.

Ingredients:

• Asparagus, tough ends snapped off
• Mushrooms of choice (cremini used here, but most any variety would work)
• ~1 Tablespoon minced shallot
• 3-4 Tablespoons butter and/or extra virgin olive oil
• Freshly ground pepper, or pepper blend
• Kosher salt
• Lemon juice, optional

Cut the asparagus into ~ 1/1/2 inch segments, making the cuts on an angle for the best presentation.

Gently rinse the mushrooms and dry on a towel.  Slice or coarsely chop, depending on what type of mushrooms you are using.

Heat the oil over medium high heat in a small frying pan or wok.  [I used a combination of butter and olive oil.  It looks like a lot of oil, but the mushrooms really soak it up!]  Add the shallots to the pan and stir for about 30 seconds. Toss the mushrooms and asparagus in the pan and stir-fry until the mushrooms become soft and the asparagus is crispy-tender (still has a little bite to it).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Just before serving, give it a good squeeze of lemon and toss again.